DL Alan Branch signs extension with Bills

The Bills locked up veteran DL Alan Branch with a contract extension. He was to become a free agent after the 2013 season.

The Bills began the process of addressing their upcoming free agent decisions re-signing one of their veteran defensive linemen Monday. Alan Branch re-signed with Buffalo agreeing to a new multi-year contract with the club.

“I feel great,” Branch told Buffalobills.com. “I definitely feel that schematically this team is a good fit for me on the defensive side and the way that we’re building as a team to get to the playoffs for next year and be a better team, I kind of want to be a part of that building process so I’m excited about being here.”

Branch, who signed as a free agent this past offseason, was playing the 2013 season on a one-year deal. The veteran run stuffer proved to be a reliable asset on Buffalo’s defensive line especially after the team lost starter Alex Carrington for the season to a torn quadriceps in Week 3.

“Me and the coaches and everybody upstairs we all liked each other and they liked the way I played,” said Branch. “It was all the pen and paper and logistics stuff between the agent and the team and thank goodness everything came out the right way.”

The seven-year vet, who will celebrate his 29th birthday in Sunday’s season finale at New England, has expressed a desire to stay in Buffalo beyond this season more than once. He likes the group of players around him and doesn’t mind doing the dirty work on what is currently the eighth-ranked defense in the NFL.

“I do like to get my nose dirty and free everybody up, but I would like to have more stats, but it doesn’t always come your way,” said Branch. “I feel like we’re all appreciative of each other and the way that we play and the skills that we bring to the team. As long as the team is doing well I’m alright with that.”

Branch admitted that a big reason he wanted to sign was that he sees the arrow pointing up for the Bills moving forward and has had enough experience in the league to recognize what that looks like.

“Just seeing the direction that we’re going, I think we’re going in a great direction,” he said. “I’ve been part of teams that are part of the building process as well. I was with Seattle before they started winning a lot of games. I see a lot of things that are similar and the type of guys that are playing on the field right now I feel like we have a great chance of being something special next year.”